Can't Wait....

We are all very much enjoying this beautiful weather and decided to take advantage of it on Sunday by taking the kids out in the boat. I don't think Thomas remembered it last year so this year he thought it was the greatest thing ever. He was a little too comfortable in the boat and made me a nervous wreck. He was happy running around the boat and leaning over the sides to see the water. We found  little beach area to stop and let the kids play for a while and they absolutely enjoyed it..

Angiogram Results

Gracie did great today, she was such a trooper! The morning started out with a roller coaster of emotions. We could not walk her into the room that the procedure was being done in because it was sterilized.  Therefore we had to leave her before she was sedated which was very difficult.  They were not able to do any treatment today because there was no contrast left after the angiogram.  They have to limit the amount of contrast she receives because it could damage her kidneys.  We now know there are 6 feeder veins supplying the malformation.  The VOGM is rare, so there is not a text book procedure to treat it.  Our doctors are going to consult with other doctor across America.  We were told that when issues like this arise, they like to share test results and have a network of doctors working together and combine everyones experience before determining which way to attack the issue.  The doctors also discovered that one of her jugular veins is closed do to the pressure.  She was very uncomfortable and unhappy when she woke up in the recovery room,(which we expected) but when she calmed down she heard a baby down the hall crying.  She looked at us and offered to take the baby her blanket and passy.  She is so precious.

Though these are not the results we were hoping and praying for, our sovereign God is in control and can heal today just as He could yesterday.  The more we find out, the more evident it is that God is protecting her and keeping her safe.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors while they are determining a method of treatment.  Also pray that Gracie knows just enough that a 2 year old needs to know and nothing more.  Continue to pray for peace that surpasses all understanding that only comes from the Lord and for rest for our family.  We love each and every one of you all and appreciate your prayers and support! Thank you and God Bless!

Tomorrow's Procedure

Tomorrow is Gracie's angiogram at MUSC. We have to have her there at 6:30am and the procedure will begin at 7:30. Please join with us in prayer for her for the following:

• Good night's rest for her and Tommy & I
• Pray that she will handle the anesthesia well
• Prayer for the doctors treating her
• Prayer that they will find the malformation and it will be contained in one area and they can treat it tomorrow

Also after the MRI Gracie never said a word about the procedure or anything about that day. I am really hoping that she doesn't remember it because of having been sedated. So I pray that when we start the sedation process tomorrow she doesn't remember last time and start to get scared.

Vein of Galen Malformation

     Well, after a long awaited few weeks we have meet with the Pediatric Neurosurgeon at MUSC and found out that Gracie has something called "Vein of Galen Malformation" located in her brain. If you have any medical background you will know that it is a type of arteriovenous malformation or AVM. AVM's are very common and seen all the time. So after meeting with the Neurosurgeon he reviewed and read all of Gracie's MRI results and explained everything to us and in turn recommended us talk to a different Neurosurgeon who specializes in endovascular procedures. This new neurosurgeon informed us that VOGM is very rare and he has only seen it about 10 times. He also told us that he is very surprised that Gracie has not had any other side effects other then her very noticeable facial veins. He said that the most common side effects of  VOGM is congestive heart failure, hydrocephalus, and developmental delays. He also said that Gracie will be the oldest patient he has ever treated. You typically see this in babies who are only days old or weeks old because their in heart failure.
       After hearing this Tommy and I had this overwhelming feeling that God has had His hand on Gracie since the day she was born. The fact that our precious baby girl has this malformation and hasn't had any of those side effects is truly because of the Lord. So from here we have scheduled Gracie to get an Angiogram which is a test where they place a small catheter in her leg and travel through a vein to her brain and inject contrast dye and watch for the flow of the blood and at what pressure it is traveling. We are praying that during this test the doctors find the malformation in one confined area and are able to block off the blood flow.  Thank you so much for all of your prayers, phone calls, emails and text messages it has meant the world to Tommy and I.

Quick Update

The pediatric neurosurgerons nurse called me today to let me know that the doctor has reviewed all of Gracie's films, medical records and MRI results and would like to see her next Thursday. He will sit down and explain everything to us. We continue to pray for her and for peace and rest for Tommy and I as we wait to find out more information.

Prayer for Gracie

After a series of test and results the doctor have found that Gracie has an abnormal connection between an artery and a vein in her head. Gracie's pediatrician wants a specialist to read the MRI results, so we are waiting for a pediatric neurosurgeon from MUSC to schedule a consultation. (We are hoping to hear from them on Tuesday.) Please be in prayer with us about the following:




First, and for most we are trusting God for a complete healing

That our faith not be in the wisdom of men, but in the Lord. ( 1 Corinthians 2:5)

Peace and rest in this time of uncertainty (Philippians 4:4-7)

Through this situation God would be glorified



Philippians 4:4-7

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."


We will update you as soon as we know more...

Baby Fever....

I am officially 13 weeks along and feeling really good. I feel like I have much more energy now then I did two weeks ago. Which is great to have when chasing around a 2 1/2 year old and a 18 month old. Lately I have been feeling lots of baby fever. Whenever I see a baby I just want to run over and hold it or if I get the chance to hold a baby I soak up the cuddling and snuggling. Every now and then Thomas will cuddle but not as much any more. I was looking through some baby pictures of Gracie and Thomas and just weeping cause I can't wait to meet our new little one. The only thing that is starting to get frustrating is I am in the in between  stage for clothes and it upsets me so much. I hate when I want to dress up say for Church and my maternity clothes are still a little big and don't fit quite like I want them too but yet my normal clothes will not zip or button anymore. SUPER FRUSTRATING....

Well I will leave you with some of my favorite pictures of our two crazy monkeys when they were tinnie tiny..

Me & Gracie

Our little Red Head

Gracie & Daddy

After Delivery with Thomas

Thomas